Grain production efficiency in Hebei province and its influence factors based on stochastic frontier analysis

Stochastic frontier approach was used to measure technical efficiency of grain production in 11 cities of Hebei Province from 1994 to 2013 and the influence factors of the technical efficiency，which included analysis of the total situation，variation characteristics，differences of technical efficiency，and analysis of the change of different periods，the output elasticity of the respective input and the function of influence factors. Finally，suggestions for improving grain productive efficiency were put forward. The results showed that the grain technical efficiency had large differences in regions，the change of Zhangjiakou and Chengde was violent. Nearly five years，the technical efficiency of Cangzhou rose obviously. Shijiazhuang and other areas increased steadily，but the rising amplitude was different，and some areas had occasional fluctuation according to time. Compared with 1994 to 2003，the output elasticity of respective input from 2004 to 2013 changed violently，the output elasticity of total power of grain machinery turned to positive effect from no effect，the fertilizer turned to no effect from obvious effect. The percentage of grain crop area to the total planting area and the rate of valid irrigated area had decreasing influence on technical efficiency，but it was still important. GDP per capita had increasing influence on technical efficiency. Natural disaster had decreasing influence on technical efficiency.